DSAL denies any gov’t controversy regarding minimum wage bill

The Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) refuted accusations that have been circulating on online social networks in a statement. The government is being criticized in these accusations for having a tendentious attitude regarding whether domestic workers should be eligible to receive the minimum wage. DSAL noted that the bill on the full implementation of the minimum wage is currently under public consultation.

The DSAL says that such information is false and that the government has not yet taken any position on this matter.

The government also reaffirmed that the public consultation document specifically mentions the following:

“Given the specificity of the work performed by domestic workers, as well as the capacity to support the economic burden of families that hire them and the current situation of demand and supply of human resources in Macau as well as other factors, [the question] has been raised […] whether domestic workers should be excluded from the application of the minimum wage or not.”

In the same statement, the government expressed its hope that the public consultation would “hear the views of the several sectors of society” and that the information and statistical data provided in the consultation document could “serve as a reference for the public, wishing to actively participate in presenting their views during the consultation period.”
In a statement, DSAL issued a reminder that all citizens wishing to participate in the public consultation can do so by accessing the website (https://www3.dsal.gov.mo/survey/minimumwage).

In a separate topic and speaking to the media earlier this week, lawmaker Leong Sun Iok has said that cooks in the region need to receive an increase in their salaries.

According to the lawmaker from the Workers Association, there are currently more than 13,000 cooks, most of them working in the local hotels, making an average salary of MOP18,530, while others face a lower income of about MOP10,370 (on average). Iok suggests increasing cooks’ salaries to retain talented cooks in Macau and attract new people into the high demand profession.

The Workers Association had also raised the fact that the hospitality industry is one that is tremendously dependent on non-resident labor, adding that the unreasonable salaries offered in the market make it difficult to attract young people. The difficult conditions in the hospitality industry have led to the replacement of local cooks with non-local workers to lower expenses for companies.